1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for activating water and, particularly, to a method of activating water over a wide range from supplied clean water and gray water to drain water and an apparatus for activating such water.
2. Description of the Background Art
A scheme of activating water by splitting molecular population of water with the use of a magnetic force to reduce the size of a cluster (molecular assembly) of water has been well known. For example, there have been a system for activation in which water reserved in a reservoir is processed by a filtration unit and a magnetic processing unit (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-254082, pp. 2–6, FIG. 1), an apparatus for activating a flow of water in which a permanent magnet is attached to the outside of a water flow tube and an image magnet is formed symmetrically to the surface of the water flow tube (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-192159, pp.2–3, FIG. 1), an apparatus in which counterclockwise magnetic lines of force and clockwise magnetic lines of force are alternately generated and a flow of water is allowed to pass through the generated magnetic lines of force for activation (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-66566, pp. 3–5, FIG. 4), etc. As such, in general, activation is performed by allowing water to pass between the S pole and the N pole of at least a pair of magnets.
In order to more efficiently perform activation by using these schemes, however, it is required to use strong magnets. Other than intensifying the magnetic force, there is no way to improve the efficiency of water activation. Therefore, the degree of activation is disadvantageously low and insufficient.
In order to solve the above disadvantage, the inventor of the present invention has previously suggested a water activating method in which the S pole and the N pole are opposed to each other and, for the purpose of efficient activation, a non-magnetic conductive metal plate is used to cause an electromotive current occurring in a direction perpendicular to a flow of water to repulsively act, thereby acting electrons and also a magnetic force upon the flow of water, and an apparatus for this method (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 11-138173, pp. 2–5, FIG. 1). This apparatus has a structural problem, however, that a carbon electrode has to be fitted into the water flow tube, thereby disadvantageously causing an inconvenience of adherence for the purpose of preventing water leakage.
As has been described above, the conventional water activating apparatuses have the problem that there is no way to improve the efficiency of water activation other than intensifying the magnetic force. In order to solve this problem, the inventor has previously suggested the above-described method and apparatus, which, however, have the problem in view of the structure for preventing water leakage.